Power

“Electricity is of two kinds, positive and negative. The difference is, I presume, that one comes a little more expensive, but is more durable; the other is a cheaper thing, but the moths get into it.” – Stephen Leacock

The college’s transformer apparently somehow caught on fire a few days ago. I don’t know anything about the inner workings of electricity, so I’m not sure of exactly what happened. However, I do know that I love electricity. I love how it powers the ceiling fan in the room. I love how it keeps my laptop juiced up. I love how it fuels my refrigerator so that everything stays edible. I just plain ole’ love electricity.

I have been very lucky here at my college because power is generally flowing. Maybe once a week, for a few hours, there will be no power. This most previous power-free incident lasted for about 18 hours. Did I live? Yes. But it’s still mildly annoying, because the power went out again later that day, and this morning it has gone out again. Thankfully my computer is fully charged, so I’ve got a few good hours. If you don’t have something, ever, you don’t realize what you’re missing. But, to have electricity fairly consistently during my stay here makes it a little more irritating when it goes out. I suppose this is just another part of the experience.

Consistently working electricity is something most Americans take for granted. Sure, every so often, a storm will pass through and you might lose power for a few hours. But, there are people in Africa and other places around the world that have no electricity at all. Ever. Imagine how different life would be? Here in Ghana, I spend a lot of time alone. On a day-to-day basis, if I’m not teaching or going to town for food, I’m doing work on my computer, doodling around on facebook, watching DVDs, etc. I’ve learned just how dependent I am upon technology. I’m taking an online class, my only communication with many people is via email, I update my blog frequently to keep people abreast of my life….and the list could go on and on. It’s not that I couldn’t go without the computer or the phone. Of course I could. But I’m a 21^st century American woman and I appreciate the genius of Apple and Google and Facebook and technology in general. In Africa, it’s a different story for many people. In larger cities, people go to internet cafes and some people even have the internet at home. However, many people I have met only browse the internet on their phones and spending an evening on their computer isn’t always the chosen leisure activity. About a week ago, my roommate asked to check facebook on my computer to look at some pictures and she was on it for several hours. She was completely enthralled with the same searching that us Americans do. While she was on the computer, I showed her husband my kindle and he was absolutely fascinated. Technology doesn’t consume so much of people’s days here as it does in America, but the interest is definitely there. More efficient systems and tools are seeping in, but Ghana still has quite a ways to go in terms of matching up to the technological prowess of the United States.